' .C15 'iW MANUAL 

Copy ^ OF 

vKrERINARY MEDICINE 



oil TIIK 

TREATMENT 

OF THE 

DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 

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BY M. D. CADWALADER, 

VKTEHl.VAKY SUKGKON', OF THIRTY VKARS PU ACTICK. 



SECOND EDTTIOX; 

With the EvperioDCfl of FoiirUen Years addt^d to the Work. 



TKLRGRAM J'RINT., RICHMOND, IM>. 



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I»Rl£F'AaE. 



The great necessity which has heretofore 
existed for a short and concise work of this 
kind, containing the symptoms and treatment 
of the great variety of diseases to which the 
Horse is subject, and which at the same time, 
would be thoroughly adapted to the under- 
standing of all classes, has long been a desid- 
eratum in the mind of the Author, and lias in- 
duced him to undertake the present manual, 
which, he flatters himself, will be found of 
vast utility. 

It is his purpose, to present to the public, 
in as brief and plain a style as the nature of 
of the subject will permit, a correct and inter- 
esting history of the great variety of diseases 
incident to the Horse, together with the symp- 
toms by which each one may be distinguished 
from all others, and the remedies which, from 
a long and practical experience and success, 
as a Veterinary Surgeon, he has found most 
successful in their removal. 

The great objection to all former works on 
this subject, both in this and European coun- 
tries, consists in the very intricate style in 
whifh thev are written, and the great variety 



PREFACE. 

of technical terms they contain. They also 
contain prescriptions of various articles which 
cannot be obtained in this country, all which 
render them in a great measure, useless, ex- 
cept to those only whose entire business it is 
to practice the '''veterinary art," and for this 
reason it is his aim to exhibit a style which 
will be both correct and useful to every one, 
and at the same time be free from all the am- 
bitious ornaments and faults which are justly 
chargeable to writers on this subject, in this 
and other countries. 

After having the experience of fourteen 
years since the first edition was issued, and a 
part of that time traveling and teaching the 
veterinary art, through the east and west, and 
having spent three years in Cincinnati Horse 
Market, where he gained a high reputation, 
and also three years in the employ of the Gov- 
ernment at Camp Monroe and at Hamilton; 
and having had unlimited opportunities for 
investigating and treating all the diseases of 
the Horse, that seldom falls to the lot ol any 
one man; and feeling confident that he can 
till a void that has heretofore existed, he has 
rewritten this Manual and has given the piil)- 
lic the beut'lit of his large experience, and of- 
fers them hereby a second edition of the work 
which proved so popular in its first edition, 
and respectfully dedirates it to all who do him 
the honor of thorouuhlv testing its mei-its. 



OF 



VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



In all the Universe, the Creator has not 
given unto man a more useful, a more intelli- 
gent and more grateful animal than the Horse. 
He is a thinking, calculating and sociable an- 
imal. Treat him as he ought to be treated, 
and he is thy companion, thy friend. 

The Horse in a state of nature is subject to 
few diseases, but the further he is removed 
from his natural condition, tlie more numer- 
ous and complicated his diseases become, and 
in consequence of the use and abuse of the 
Horse l)y tnan, the horse, like man, has become 
subject to a great variety of diseases, which, 
like those aftecting the human system, are fre- 
quently under the control of medicinal reme- 
dies; and the same general means which are 
efficacious in healing the disorders of our race, 
are equally so in controlling those of the in- 
ferior part of the animal creation. 

The great value of the Horse to man, has 
rendered him from the earliest period, the ob- 
ject of study and attention, not only while in 
healtb, but also when laboring under disease. 
For the latter state, a peculiar system was 



6 

early formed, including a Materia Medica and 
a general mode of treatment considerably dif- 
ferent from those of the human patients. 
Xenophen is the oldest Veterinary writer on 
record; but his treatment is confined to tbi^ 
training and management of the Horse tor 
Avar and the chase. The chief merit of the , in- 
dent writers on this subject consists in dieta- 
ry rules and domestic management which they 
propose. Their medical prescriptions are said 
to be an inconsistent and often dis-ordant 
jumble of many articles devoid of rational 
aim or probable efficacy. On the revival of 
learning in Europe, when the anatomy and 
physiology of the human body bad become 
grand objects of research in Italian schools. 
Veterinerary Anatomy attracted the attention 
of Ruini, and others, whose descriptive labors 
on the body of the horse have since served for 
the ground" worlc and model of all the schools 
in Europe. The works of the Veterinary 
writers of antiquity were eagerly sought and 
translated into French and the arts extensive- 
ly cultivated, sometimes under regular medi- 
cal professors. 

The new science having been extended over 
a great part of Europe, could scarcely fail of 
occasional communication with England. 
Nevertheless the medifal treatment of horses 
and other domestic animals continued exclu- 
sively in the hands of Farriers and Cow Doc- 
tors until some time in the first quarter of the 
eighth century. At this period, that branch 
of the art which relates to the medical and 
surgical treatment of the Horse attracted the 
attention of Wm. Gibson, who had acted in 
the capacity of army surgeon in the wars of 
Queen Anne. He was the first auther of the 



regular medical profession in England, vvho 
attempted to improve veterinary science, and 
the publication of liis work forms an era in 
its annals. Since, his work became, and has 
continued to the present day. the basis of the 
English. The eighteenth century was abun- 
dantly fruitful in veterinary pursuits and 
publications. France took the lead and a zeal 
for this science pervaded Germany. Colleges 
were established in varioii-^ countries with 
the expressed view of cultivating this branch 
of the medical art. It is said that the French 
have improved the anatomical and surgical 
branches of the art, and the English those 
branches which relate to the operation of med- 
icine. 

The tirst veterinary school was instituted 
at Lj^ons, in 1762. another in Berlin in 1792. 
and one near London the same year. In these 
Colleges lectures were given and degrees con- 
ferred. In the diplomas the graduate is de- 
nominated A'eterinary Surgeon. A great 
number of those surgeons ha\e been dispersed 
in the armies of Europe as well as through 
the different countries, where they have t)een 
employed in the medical and surgical treat- 
ment of diseased animals to the great advan- 
tage of their owners. It is cAident that th'" 
light of science has shone conspicuously in 
Europe on the Horse in relation to his treat- 
ment, both when in he;ilth and when laboring 
under disc ise. In the Ignited States we have 
no institution for the cultivation of this branch 
of knowledge. The press, however, has been 
proliftc in the production of works treating on 
the various branches of the veterinary art; 
and many persons, by their aid. have render- 
ed themselves competent to administer to the 



8 



Horse, in case of disease, in a rational manner. 
Nevertheless, the practice of animal medicine 
is confined chiefly to illiterate men who. from 
their laborious habits, or from other causes, 
have not attained to that degree of information 
on animal diseases and the general effects of 
medicine, that might enable them to prescribe 
their remedies on scientific principles. But 
this state of things is not peculiar to our coun- 
try, for notwithstanding the laudable efforts 
of enlightened men in Europe, the blacksmiths 
form a vast majority of the horse-surgeons and 
physicians in every part of it. The attention 
of blacksmiths was early turned to the diseas- 
es of the Horse from the practice of supplying 
them with shoes. The morbid affections of 
the foot were probably the first that attracted 
their notice, and descanting upon these induc- 
ed the general belief that they understood 
every other disease which might affect the 
horse. These men, as laborers in iron, were 
originally termed ferriers, from the Latin 
word ferrum. Iron; and their craft ferriery. 

The appellation of Veterinary Surgeon is ap- 
plicable to persons who have received a diplo- 
ma from some Yeterinary College, or who have 
at least studied animal medicine scientifically. 
There are a few such individuals in the United 
States. "While the great value of the Horse 
and the general increase of knowledge, cer- 
tainly justify the expectation that their num- 
bers will increase, and for this reason, 1 have 
been induced to offer to the enlightened pub- 
lic a few ideas taken from actual experimental 
knowledge. 



Symptoms of Diseases of the Horse. 



The diagnosis of the diseases of the Horse, 
Avithout which there is no possibility of curing 
them, is a matter as important as it is difficult 
in certain cases. In order to establish it, it is 
necessary to subject the sick animal to an ex- 
amination which not only embraces the dis- 
cease and its symptoms, but extends also to 
the rest of the phenomena of the animal's pe- 
culiar life. 

The comparison between these two orders 
of symptoms show us how far the present 
state of the Horse is removed from the natur- 
al condition, and allows us to establish our 
prognosis; for it is evident that the more the 
physiognomy of the animal difters from what 
it should be, the more the exterior is changed, 
the more the secretions and excretions have 
become irregular, the more serious and alarm- 
ing is the character of the disease. 

The examination of a sick animal, presents 
in some respects more, and in others less, dif- 
ficulty than that of a human being aftected 
with disease. It is more difficult, inasmuch 
as the practictioner must often dispense with 
the knowledge of a history of the case. The 
animal not being able to speak to inform him 
of his previous habits, of the injurious influ- 
ences to which he has been exposed, or of his 
present feelings, location of his pains, or the 
duration of the disease, &c., and the persons 
who are in care of him generally afford but 
very incomplete information. We frequently 
obtain but very vague and an satisfactory ideas 



10 

ahoiit the case. Another difficulty is owins 
to this, that the animals cannot tell their sub- 
jective symptoms, that is to say, what they 
feel, the location and nature of their pains, &c. 
But on the other hand, the examination is 
more easy in some respects, because the ani- 
mal is obedient to its instinct and expresses 
its suffering by movements, attitudes, looks, 
sounds, &c. Tlie phenomena themselves are 
much more distinctly marked, because there 
is not in this case, as in man. the imagination 
to exercise any influence over them. Also, 
every thing discovered in the sick animal 
may be considered as a consequence of the 
state of the organs. Tbe'pulse and beatings 
of the heart, among others, aftord much more 
precise and certain signs than in man. 

A practical knowledge of the symptoms of 
the disease, constitutes what is called in 
French veterinary works, the coup d' (inl, 
and is very important to the veterinary sur- 
geon. It is of the utmost importance when 
you examine a sick horse, to carefully collect 
all the symptoms, even those least marked, 
and to nrrange them properly; fortius is al- 
most the sole and only nu'iins of ascertaining 
the form of the tlisease. The practitioner hav- 
ing no other resource for this except to take 
into account that wliich is rei)resented exter- 
nally in the Horse. 

The order, whicli we proceed to the exami- 
nation, is not :i matter of indifference. From 
the manner in which it is done, we judge of 
the skill of thePractioner. Thus, it woidd be 
giving a very unfavoriible id(^a of one's self to 
commence the examination by indicating the 
accessory symptoms, or to jumble and con- 
found both ord(M-s of symjitoms indiscrimi- 



11 

nately. To confine one's self to a certain or- 
der is a means for rendering the examination 
itself much easier. 

In the first place, commence with the symp- 
toms which are referable to the exterior of 
the animal, and which, as such, first fall un- 
der the cognizance of the senses, because in 
many cases they are suflicient to enable us to 
recognize the diseise and even judge of its 
seat. 

To this head may be referred : 

1st. The movements and attitudes of the 
body and its several parts, chiefly of the head, 
eyes and limbs, and tail, as the animal indi- 
cates the pain he feels by striving to repel or 
avoid the i)ernicious influence from without 
or to relieve the sufferings which torture him. 

2d. The look and Physiognomy. To bo 
sure it cannot be said that the horse has a 
Physiognomy in the sense in which this term 
is applied to the human subject. 

Still the character, the breed, and the state 
of health and of disease, are expressed in him 
in a very striking manner. His Physiognomy 
becomes particularly characteristic in tetanus, 
internal gangrene, vertigo and Pneumonia. 
It is for this reason we should attach a special 
importance to the examination of the eye. 

Aftei" having considered nil the symptoms 
connected with the exterior ef the l)ody of the 
animal, we next proceed to examine the pulse 
and beating of the heart. These two phenom- 
ena have great Aalue as characteristic signs in 
the diseases of the horse. 

The pulse is felt on embracing the submax- 
illary artery, between the ind^x and middle 
finger, hs it'crosses the anterior portion of the 
lower jaw, or inside of the fore-arm near the 



12 

sternum or breast bone, where lies the phiit 
vein. 

With respect to the beatings of the heart, 
they are felt by placing the palm of the hand 
on the horse's left side, not far fr cm the elbow. 
But to be able to judge of a disease from the 
pulsation of the arterial system, it is necessary 
to know the character of the pulse in a state of 
health, and to have attained a certain degree 
of dexterity in examiiiing it. The number of 
pulsation is about from thirty-t"o to forty per 
minute in the adult horse, when in health, 
and from forty-six to fifty-live in young horses. 
If the animal is irritable, his pulse is more 
frequent and harder; that is, it strikes with 
more force agninst the finger, which is gener- 
ally considered a sign of vigor. It is slower 
and softer in Phlegmatic Breeds. The pulse 
varies very much in disease. It is accelerated 
(above fifty, sometimes seventy or eighty, and 
even to one hundred or more) in febrile dis- 
eases. The pulse frequent, hard and strong, 
indicates an inflammatory efl:ection; wlien 
slow and weak, or easily compressed, it de- 
notes debility, advanced age, or an anemic 
state of the body. When accelerated or feeble 
it indicates iminent danger, and worse, still, 
if it be of an intermitting ch;iracter. 

In Pneumonia it is frequently oppressed. In 
Enteritis, bard, quick and wiringin its feeling. 
If, while the mouth and feet are cold, the pulse 
is no longer felt, life is very seriously threat- 
ened. Oftimesthe pulsations of the heart are 
no longer felt during the repose of the horse, 
but slight motion is sulBcient to render them 
perceptible. Further, there are two circum- 
stances which must not be lost sight of: the 
first is that we can judge so much better of the 



13 

state of the pulse the more tranquil the animal 
is: the second is that the pulse is influenced by 
every thing which can excite fear or uneasi- 
ness; therefore we should not examine it ab- 
ruptly, nor before we have familiarized our- 
selves with the horse, to a cert;iin extent. 

After the loulse, the respiration should be ex- 
amined : We should tirst attend to its frequen- 
cy and its relation to the pulsation of the heart. 
lu a state of health the horse respires from 
nine to ten times every minute. We should 
see, also, vvhat temperature and odor the ex- 
pired air may be. We examine all the phe- 
nomena with which the respiration may be 
accompanied, such as the diff'erent sounds, 
cough, &C. 

From the respiration we pass on to diges- 
tion. The apparatus destined for the perform- 
ance of this function funiishes important di- 
agnostic signs, inasmuch as it enjoys a great 
predominance in our domesticanimais, and in- 
dependently of the diseases peculiar to it, it 
participates in those of several other systems 
and organs. 

We investigate the signs which may be de- 
rived from hunger, thirst, the manner in which 
the animal takes its food, masticat(>s and swal- 
lows it, the sttite of the abdomen, the quality 
of the alvine ejections, ttc. 

The total loss of ai)petite is a siun much 
more serious in domesticanimais than in man. 
It is, therefore, always a favorable siun when 
they take food, provided, however, that they 
are conscious of what they do. A syujptom 
worthy of 7-emark is, th;it inflammatory dis- 
eases are accompanied by an increase in tiie 
contraction of tlie intestinal ])irieti('s and a 
dimunition in tlio secretions, which niisv \;v 



14 

ascertained by the small size, hardness, dry- 
ness, the more or less deep eolor of the evacua- 
tions, whilst the contrary takes place in putrid 
diseases, where the alvine ejections are united 
into larger masses, and generally covered with 
mucus. The examination of the urinary or- 
gans is necessary as well in reference to the 
diseases peculiar to the apparatus itself, be- 
cause it contributes to make known the gen- 
eral state of inflammatory putridity and 
spasms, so that it furnishes signs of the high- 
est importance. 

Lastly, we must direct attention to the state 
of the mucus membranes, those chiefly of the 
mouth and nose. Their pale or red color, and 
thi! character of their secretions, aftord symp- 
toms sufllcient to indicate certain diseases. 

The examination should bear not only on 
the aberations which the vital phenomena have 
undergone, but also on the causes of the dis- 
eases, if they do not appear from the symptoms 
themselves. As every disease must be consid- 
ered as the product of two factors, an internal 
or sul)jcctive cause, and an external or objec- 
tive, tiie veterinary i)rHctitioner should give 
his in\ estigations a two-fold direction. 

With resi)ect to the animal, he takes into 
consideration his age, breed, constitution, 
mode of life, the labor lie has had to i)erform, 
the state of health he enjoyed hitherto, the 
diseases with which he had been previously at- 
tacked, and the state of those animals of the 
s ime breed. 

AVith respect to the second point of view, he 
looks to the state of the atmosphere, the kind 
of food given him, the character of the sta- 
bling, the first morbid phenomena which man- 
ifested themselves, the course of the disease 






15 

up to the present peried, and the treatment 
employed. 

Most of the diseases of the horse are accom- 
panied witli pains which manifest themselves 
externall)^, according to the parts whence they 
derive their origin. If the painful part is a 
foot, the animal assumes an attitude such as 
may spare the part atFected. When standing, 
he throws the leg forward, so that it may have 
less to do than the other in supporting the 
weight of the body. In hnnitis, when stand- 
ing, the weight is thrown on the heels. When 
walking, he rests less on it; when one touches 
it, he sometimes draws it back or raises the 
foot. If the pain has its seat elsewhere, the 
animal frequently turns his head to this part, 
or strikes it with the foot. In case the pain is 
very seTere, he remains as if struck with stu- 
por, and his head inclined to the ground, or 
else scrapes with his fore feet or stamps with 
the hind foot, or rolls himself upon the ground. 

The eyes, even when they are not the seat of ' 
disease, often express the state of the animal 
health. When dull and full of water, they 
indicatt! exhaustion and weakness; when 
bright, full of force, and project out of the or- 
bits, they denote an inflammatory state, or 
iometimes very acute pain. 

Every t'me the hair is observed to be dull 
and staring, it is a proof of disease, for it is 
shining and smooth when the animal is in good 
health. This symptom denotes a bad nutri- 
tion, insufficient food, more especially abdom- 
inal aflfections, when emaciation is combined 
with it. 

When the respiration is slow and calm, we 
conclude that there is no fever, and that the 
pectoral organs are healthy. When it is hur- 



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